Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

I need to verify: the NFL counted sacks against a QB's rushing yardage/stats in 1945 and both the NFL and AAFC counted them against the QB's rushing yardage/stats in 1946. In 1947, they went back to being a separate category (tackles for loss), correct?

I believe what you said is right, except for the word "back." I think sacks had always been counted against a passer's rushing stats until 1947.

Okay, thanks Bob!

but later encyclopedias corrected that...but at the beginning those were all one category

Since we're discussing the history of stats from the 1940's, was yards per punt average calculated differently in the early 1940's? The reason I ask is, if you look at the NFL league punting averages per season for the 1940's, they look odd:

1940: 39.7 yards/punt
1941: 20.5
1942: 39.6
1943: 38.2
1944: 25.8
1945: 19.9
1946: 41.1
1947: 41.4
1948: 40.6
1949: 40.5

Is there an explanation for the low league punt averages in 1941, 1944 and 1945? If you blame 1944 and 1945 on WWII, how do you explain 1943 being pretty much within the range of normal fluctuation to 1942 and 1946-49. The US officially didn't enter the war until the very end of the 1941 season, so you can't blame the 1941 stats on the war-depleted talent and how can you explain it being nearly half of the 1940 punting average.

Rupert Patrick wrote:Since we're discussing the history of stats from the 1940's, was yards per punt average calculated differently in the early 1940's? The reason I ask is, if you look at the NFL league punting averages per season for the 1940's, they look odd:

1940: 39.7 yards/punt
1941: 20.5
1942: 39.6
1943: 38.2
1944: 25.8
1945: 19.9
1946: 41.1
1947: 41.4
1948: 40.6
1949: 40.5

Is there an explanation for the low league punt averages in 1941, 1944 and 1945? If you blame 1944 and 1945 on WWII, how do you explain 1943 being pretty much within the range of normal fluctuation to 1942 and 1946-49. The US officially didn't enter the war until the very end of the 1941 season, so you can't blame the 1941 stats on the war-depleted talent and how can you explain it being nearly half of the 1940 punting average.

Where are you getting these numbers??? For instance, I have 1944 with 37.5!

OK. I see you are pulling these numbers from the almighty Pro Football Reference.
The thing is their numbers are screwy.
For instance, on the 1945 NFL page they have Detroit with 54 punts for 499 yards and an amazing 9.4 average. But on the team page it's 53 punts for 2014 and 38.0.

TodMaher wrote:

Rupert Patrick wrote:Since we're discussing the history of stats from the 1940's, was yards per punt average calculated differently in the early 1940's? The reason I ask is, if you look at the NFL league punting averages per season for the 1940's, they look odd:

1940: 39.7 yards/punt
1941: 20.5
1942: 39.6
1943: 38.2
1944: 25.8
1945: 19.9
1946: 41.1
1947: 41.4
1948: 40.6
1949: 40.5

Is there an explanation for the low league punt averages in 1941, 1944 and 1945? If you blame 1944 and 1945 on WWII, how do you explain 1943 being pretty much within the range of normal fluctuation to 1942 and 1946-49. The US officially didn't enter the war until the very end of the 1941 season, so you can't blame the 1941 stats on the war-depleted talent and how can you explain it being nearly half of the 1940 punting average.

Where are you getting these numbers??? For instance, I have 1944 with 37.5!

I couldn't find league stats at profootballarchives.com so I went to pro-football-reference.com:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/y ... icking.htm

Rupert Patrick wrote:

TodMaher wrote:

Rupert Patrick wrote:Since we're discussing the history of stats from the 1940's, was yards per punt average calculated differently in the early 1940's? The reason I ask is, if you look at the NFL league punting averages per season for the 1940's, they look odd:

1940: 39.7 yards/punt
1941: 20.5
1942: 39.6
1943: 38.2
1944: 25.8
1945: 19.9
1946: 41.1
1947: 41.4
1948: 40.6
1949: 40.5

Is there an explanation for the low league punt averages in 1941, 1944 and 1945? If you blame 1944 and 1945 on WWII, how do you explain 1943 being pretty much within the range of normal fluctuation to 1942 and 1946-49. The US officially didn't enter the war until the very end of the 1941 season, so you can't blame the 1941 stats on the war-depleted talent and how can you explain it being nearly half of the 1940 punting average.

Where are you getting these numbers??? For instance, I have 1944 with 37.5!

I couldn't find league stats at profootballarchives.com so I went to pro-football-reference.com:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/y ... icking.htm

Started a page with the league totals. Will add more categories in the upcoming days:

http://www.profootballarchives.com/nfl- ... otals.html

TodMaher wrote: Started a page with the league totals. Will add more categories in the upcoming days:

http://www.profootballarchives.com/nfl- ... otals.html

Thanks, Tod.